Pesticide-rich food

THE country’s regulators have failed to check the flow of pesticides into the food chain, suggests a monitoring report of the Department of Agriculture and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, the country’s premier institute. Fruits, vegetables, poultry and milk are all laced with high pesticide residues —much above the maximum residue limits (MRL) set by the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954. Samples of Amul milk collected from Ahmedabad, for instance, had the highest traces of chlorpyriphos, a known carcinogen that can also cause neural disorders.

Where have all the sparrows gone?

When did you last spot a house sparrow (Passer domesticus) in your house? Chances are, quite a while ago. These once-common birds are becoming a rarity, in India and other parts of the world. The Royal Society for Protection of Birds (rspb), uk, recently added the house sparrow to its Red List (for rapidly declining bird populations, which pose global conservation concern).

Pact on pollutants

representatives from 115 nations signed a draft agreement to ban eight highly toxic pesticides and other chemicals, that are among the "dirty dozen" persistent organic pollutants ( pop s), which are compounds that accumulate in the food chain. However, there was no consensus on ddt ( dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane) , which is used for eradicating mosquitoes, that transmit malaria.